Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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525. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of prime agricultural land being sold for forestry to foreign investment firms, such as a company (details supplied) in coalition with Coillte. [64716/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Private landownership in Ireland is a constitutionally protected right, and the decision to dispose of or sell such land is entirely at the discretion of the owner.

Forestry can play a key role in meeting our Climate Action Plan targets and Coillte is actively contributing to the national afforestation targets, the company has also set an ambitious target to enable the creation of new forests in their Forest Estate Land Use Strategy. Coillte have put in place various initiatives to achieve this target, including the creation of new mixed woodlands, which is carried out in cooperation with the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund. Coillte partnered with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which is state-owned and part of the NTMA, and Gresham House to establish the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund in January 2023.